


together on purpose, loving by accident

by evakuality



Series: Davenzi tumblr prompts [3]
Category: Druck | SKAM (Germany)
Genre: Accidental Dating, Fluff, M/M, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:09:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26611981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evakuality/pseuds/evakuality
Summary: Hanging out constantly with a variety of dating couples is just what friends normally do, right?  It's not their fault that everyone mistakes these outings for dates.  Itmightbe their fault that they're too oblivious to notice, though.
Relationships: Matteo Florenzi/David Schreibner
Series: Davenzi tumblr prompts [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1927255
Comments: 90
Kudos: 125





	1. Hanna and Jonas

The chattering from the assembled crowd feels closer to a deafening roar than the murmur it probably more genuinely resembles. The noise is pressing in behind Matteo's forehead in a way he knows indicates he's going to get a terrible headache if this continues. Bright sparks of colour on the people mingling around him don't help, striking small pricks of heat in behind his brows every time one flashes in the corner of his eye. Joining the jostling queue for food is a step too far in his opinion, the mere idea stretching the band of impending pain tighter in behind his eyes. The scent of the popcorn, hot and buttery, is enticing in the confined space, yet the idea of mixing in more closely in the crowd makes him feel the headache press in faster, a gentle pounding throb starting up just behind one eye.

Jonas is up ahead, near the front of a long line, one arm around Hanna and a cheerful grin on his face as they step closer to the cashier. They light up as they stare into each other’s eyes, looking happy and at ease. They do not appear at all like a pair who require the backup Jonas insisted he needed when he’d begged for company for this date when he spoke to the guys yesterday. Matteo groans. 

"Why did I agree to this?" He mutters, not intending to be heard, but someone picks up on it anyway. 

"Because you wouldn't leave me alone with that; you were being gallant," David says, waving his hand towards Jonas and Hanna, who are now pressing delicate kisses to each other's cheeks and laughing every time, their hands intertwined and so caught up in each other they barely seem to acknowledge anyone else’s presence. 

"I'm too nice," Matteo groans, "I need to learn to say no. They don’t look like they need us here.” He shakes his head in despair. “What movie are we even seeing?"

David laughs, thumps him on the arm affectionately. "Who knows? Is it important?"

Matteo mutters under his breath that he could do without the noise, and David smiles at him. It’s clear that he understands exactly why Matteo is as grumpy as he is right now. David glances around them and sidles closer.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you from the big bad crowds."

He ostentatiously pushes his way into the throng, squeezing his way through the people mingling around the edges. He finally joins a line before he slaps his head comically and groans, turning to look back at Matteo. Matteo can’t hear it from this distance, but he can see the exaggerated gestures David makes and the way he throws his head back. He scrabbles for something in his pocket, the line of people obscuring him from Matteo's sight for a few moments. 

Matteo’s phone buzzes in his jacket and he glances down at his pocket, then ignores it. Over the heads of some people who have since joined the queue, he catches sight of David pointing furiously at his phone and nodding in Matteo's direction. The phone in his jacket buzzes again. 

Matteo drags it out of his pocket and smiles when he sees what it says. 

_ I forgot to ask what you want? Popcorn? Drink? Both? _

_ Come on asshole. Look at your damn phone _

Laughing, Matteo shakes his head and raises his brow at David in a way that’s designed to show amused exasperation. David pokes his tongue out and waves his phone again, clearly asking Matteo to send his order back through.

Grinning, Matteo messages back with his choices. David feigns horror at the huge amount he wants, mimicking someone collapsing under the weight of all the food. He only stops acting stupid to make Matteo laugh when he reaches the front of the line.

Heart light, Matteo watches him, feeling the smile that still plays on his face. The headache that had been threatening has faded now, in light of David and his antics. Jonas and Hanna appear by his side as he’s shoving his phone back into his pocket.

“You guys are so cute,” Hanna says, as she balances her own food and tries to get everything she’s carrying sorted. It’s an offhand comment, made as she tucks her popcorn into one elbow while she drags her phone out. “Ugh this isn’t working. Does anyone have the time?”

Matteo blinks at her, wondering what she means by the ‘cute’ comment, but he’s distracted by Jonas who comes up behind Hanna and grins at Matteo over her shoulder. “Here’s to date night!” he cheers, nodding in the direction of the theatre. People are starting to stream in, so it seems like it must be time to go inside. The hum of the chattering noise rises a smidge, but it’s not the painful presence of just a few minutes ago.

Even so, an anxious twist swoops into Matteo’s stomach as he searches around for David. The idea of being left alone with these two love birds with no food is an unpleasant thought. He needs the buffer of David and the hot popcorn to get him through the trial. Hanna has already gone back to giving Jonas heart eyes, skimming her lips over his cheek as they turn to head towards the theatre.

David arrives then, and passes Matteo's food over to him. Some tense thing in his chest loosens now that they’re all together again, and he accepts the food gratefully. 

“Some date night,” David says, clearly having heard Jonas and laughing at the suggestion. “You two fawning all over each other and ignoring us mere plebs.”

“Well you have each other,” Jonas says while smirking at them back over Hanna's shoulder. “You’ll be fine.”

They make their way into the theatre, and Matteo’s too caught up in finding seats and getting his food arranged to his liking to think too much about what Jonas had said. He settles back against the plush seats and breathes in the scent of David’s cologne as he leans over to whisper, “Save me from the cuteness.” 

He tilts his head sideways at Jonas and Hanna who are settled to his left. They’re holding hands and Hanna has her head leaning on Jonas’s shoulder. Even at this distance, Matteo can hear the murmur of their endearments to each other. He rolls his eyes, thanking his lucky stars that he’s not the one who’s seated next to them.

“Don’t worry,” he says with a grin, leaning in close and blinking up at David with his best solemn expression and widest eyes. “I’ll save you from the big bad dating couple.”

David scowls at him, clearly taken aback, and opens his mouth to protest Matteo’s use of his own words against him when the screen lights up and the trailers start. Matteo settles back against the seat chuckling at the success of his comment, and slumping so he can prop his feet up on the one in front of him. David’s shoulder is a warm weight against his own as he too slides down in the seat, and his muttered commentary through the movie is sure to be entertaining. Maybe this won’t be as bad as Matteo had feared when they first got here, even if they are next to the world’s most sickening couple.

With David’s breath warm on his neck as he mutters his way into the opening of the film, Matteo smiles as the predictable plot starts to play out on screen. His headache is gone now, and he’s determined to enjoy the moment. 


	2. Kiki and Carlos

A bright flash of light pierces the darkness, flickering into nothingness almost as soon as it appears, leaving an afterglow burning in Matteo’s vision. The bar misses his helmet by mere inches and he flinches away, stumbling in the dim lighting into the warm body next to him.

“Shhhh,” David warns in a soft hiss, placing a roughened finger over Matteo’s lips and pushing him back and away from the direction the light had come from. “Do you want them to get us?”

“Well if it gets us out of here sooner,” Matteo mumbles quietly in return, but he obligingly moves back against the wall and slips around a corner just behind them.

He can hear a high pitched giggle from the direction the light came, and instinctively raises his own weapon. Kiki can’t help herself, he thinks in amusement. She always makes enough noise to pinpoint her location. The light beam was most likely Carlos because he, at least, can usually hide his position.

Belying that idea, Matteo picks up the low rumble of his voice in the same direction as Kiki’s laugh. He glances sideways, making out David in the gloom, his eyes lit up and a smile wide on his face. He indicates with his head, tilting it in the direction of the voices and whispering so low Matteo can barely hear him, “We can finish this if we flank them.”

Matteo nods, a reciprocal grin on his own face. He points with his weapon to one side and indicates with his head that David should go the other way. David nods his understanding, and raises three fingers, dropping them one by one. The voices are closer now, Carlos’s rumble lowering as the pair get closer, but the damage has been done.

Matteo steps to his position as David moves in his direction. Together they raise their weapons just as Carlos and Kiki round the corner, and their lights beam out in tandem. The helmets of the other two both blink to confirm hits, and they’re left gaping at David and Matteo, their own weapons now useless.

The timer buzzes to signal the end and the lights flood back into the confined space, leaving them all squinting against the suddenly harsh light.

“Yesssss,” David crows, holding his hand up for a high five, which Matteo gives him with a grin. His heart is light; it’s always nice to win, but even more so when it’s alongside David. They just seem to work well together whenever they’re in a team.

As if he hears the thought, David smiles. “The dream team strikes again.”

Carlos glares down at his now-useless weapon, shaking it as if there’s some defect in it, and Kiki just tilts her head to stare at the two of them. Her lips are pursed and eyes narrowed.

“I don’t think it’s fair,” she says, nodding at Matteo and David and bumping her arm against Carlos’s. He looks up and over at them.

“Stupid piece of shit,” he mutters, waving the weapon in her direction.

Kiki shakes her head. “It’s not the equipment,” she says, tilting her chin towards Matteo and David. “It’s them. Putting them together isn’t fair.”

His brow creasing, Matteo squints at her. The sudden glare of the lights has settled now, his eyes adjusting, but he’s not following her line of thought. “Why isn’t that fair?”

“You two just know each other too well,” she complains.

“That’s true,” Carlos chimes in. “That weird telepathic communication thing you do gives you a huge advantage. Kiki and I have only been together for a few months; it’s totally unequal for you two to be always on the same side.”

“It’s not fair,” Kiki reiterates, her mouth pursing in the way Matteo has come to recognise as indicating her stubborn mode.

Matteo shares a look with David. He can see his own confusion mirrored in David’s eyes, and raises his brow in query. David quirks his lip, lifting one shoulder slightly. He doesn’t know what they’re saying either.

“Like that!” Kiki exclaims. “We can’t compete with the way you do that.”

“Maybe get a better boyfriend then, Kiki,'' David says, laughing at Carlos’s affronted growl and dancing away from the kick he aims in David’s direction. “Then you might be able to beat us.”

“No,” Kiki announces suddenly, a bright smile lighting up her face. “What we’re doing is splitting you two up. I’ll be with David, and Matteo can go with Carlos.”

Shock floods Matteo and a brief burst of panic at the idea of being on a team that doesn’t include David. He opens his mouth to argue, but Carlos steps in first, his face a comical vision as he stares at Kiki sadly. “You don’t want to be with me, babe?” 

“What? You can’t do that!” David protests at the same time, making Matteo feel warm. That he feels as uncomfortable at the change as Matteo does makes him happy. Their ability to read each other works to their advantage and he’s not willing to lose it. Not being on David’s team would be wrong. Unnatural.

Kiki rolls her eyes, correctly interpreting their unhappiness. “You can spend a few minutes away from each other without falling apart.” She turns to Carlos, running a placating hand down his chest and smiling. “If we split up, it stops them winning all the time. And you know if I lose, I can promise you whatever you want...” she trails off, suggestively.

“You know we’ll just be able to predict what each other will do,” Matteo points out, cutting in over whatever Carlos is going to say in response. His lit up eyes are bad enough.

Shaking out of the daze Kiki’s words have brought on, Carlos says, “That’s kind of the point,” holding his hand up for a fist bump. “This way we have a chance of intercepting David’s plots. And no pressure, but we kind of need to win this one.”

Matteo shrugs, conceding the matter and bumping fists in return. He looks over at David who shrugs apologetically, then gives him an evil grin as he raises his weapon.

“You ready, Florenzi?”

“I was born ready,” Matteo replies with a grin of his own, lifting his brow. David’s eyes narrow when he sees the expression on Matteo’s face, making him laugh. “Get ready to be smashed, Schreibner.” He tilts his head back, chin jutting out but his eyes still fixed firmly on David’s. Maybe a competition might be fun, after all. The glint in David’s eyes suggests he too is enjoying this sudden, newfound contest.

Carlos groans beside him. “I’m not sure this isn’t worse,” he mutters to Kiki. “This established flirting is a bit much now they’re on opposite sides.”

That makes no sense at all, but Matteo is too caught up in the upcoming battle, determined to take David out, to pay it much mind. The lights dim again and he gestures for Carlos to follow him. He stalks David in the dark, happy to get a shot off as soon as he spots him in the distance, and the weird conversation fades into memory as his focus becomes razor sharp on the game at hand.


	3. Amira and Mohammed

“Do you have it?” Matteo whispers frantically to David, leaning in so he can hiss the words quietly in his ear. He feels stiff and uncomfortable in the new, quasi formal, clothes he’s been forced into for this event.

David, by comparison, looks suave and completely at ease in the suit he’s put on. His hair is slicked back, and he’s cool and composed as he turns to grin back at Matteo.

“What do you think I am?” He says, a glint in his eyes. “Unlike some people I could mention, I don’t leave gifts at home.”

Matteo scowls, pushes him. “That was one time! I can’t believe you’re still so stuck on it.”

Laughing, David sweeps his feet out, knocking Matteo off-balance so he almost tips over into the raised bed of flowers by the entrance. He’s still flailing when the door swings open and Amira appears, looking radiant as she grins at them. Mohammed stands behind her, beaming his pride in his new fiancé.

“Please try not to destroy the house,” Amira says as she steps back allowing them entry to the building. “We paid good money to hire it.”

“Matteo’s fault,” David says as he holds out the gift they chose together. “You know he’s a mess.”

Laughing, Amira accepts the gift, while Mohammed shows them where they can put jackets if they want to take them off. “You two are ridiculous,” Amira says. “Good thing you know how to pick good gifts.” She tilts her head and looks at the gift in her hands appraisingly, takes in the care that’s been taken with the wrapping. Then she nods approvingly.

“You only love us for what you can get?” Matteo says, grinning at her as she pushes him.

“David, maybe, yes. But you… I only love you for your food. I know this was all his idea.”

She’s placed the gift with a few others on a nearby table, and taps it carefully with one perfectly polished nail to emphasise the point.

“Hey!” Matteo protests.

“Just be glad you bring something to the relationship,” Amira says with a shrug. “Without the food, it would be all David.”

Scowling at the insinuation that he adds nothing to the group, Matteo grunts, irritation settling into something quieter and almost happy when David scoffs at the idea. “Hey, he brings plenty. Like memes and pranks.” His smile as he says it lights Matteo up and drags a reluctant grin onto his own face as he holds his hand up for a fist bump

Matteo shrugs, mollified as David knocks his fist with his own. “The most important parts of any relationship, right?”

Rolling her eyes, Amira leads them further into the building to the main party area. “You’re lucky you’re cute,” she says. “You’re both annoying as hell.”

The evening has worn on and everyone is pleasantly sated with food, good conversation and the enthusiastic dancing that’s been encouraged all evening. The music from the room next door is settling into something softer and more romantic, though, and there are a few couples dotted through the area, swaying softly to the beat that drifts out. Amira and Mohammed are in the middle, wrapped up in each other, a soft smile playing around the corner of her mouth as she looks up at him. His eyes are lit up as he sings along to the lyrics while staring into her eyes. They look like they believe nothing and no-one exists in the world except each other.

“They’re so adorable,” Hanna sighs as she leans her head on Jonas’s and watches them. “I wonder who’s going to be next. To be engaged, I mean.”

Jonas snorts. “I think that’s pretty obvious.”

Matteo’s watching Kiki, wrapped up in Carlos’s arms, her head lying on his chest and a small smile on her lips as they dance together. It looks nice, he thinks, and wonders if he’ll ever get someone to dance with like that.

“You think Kiki and Carlos are that close to doing it, then?” Matteo asks, feeling a warm, lazy contentment. He’s slumped in a wide armchair, legs curled up under him and David pressed close in beside him. His body is so warm and pliant next to Matteo’s that he’s relaxed into it, leaning against him to support his weight. It’s a pleasant space to be in, cutting through all the discomfort of the clothes he’s wearing.

A rough snort pulls him out of his thoughts and snaps his attention back to Jonas.

“You’re kidding, right?” Jonas asks, leaning forward. Hanna nods beside him, her hand resting on his shoulder now and a confused expression blooming on her face.

“Kidding about what?” David asks. He takes a sip of the beer that’s resting in his hand, jolting Matteo, who grumbles and rearranges himself so he’s comfortable in their shared chair again, pushing at David until he’s the right sort of comfy for Matteo to lean against.

Jonas waves a hand at them, indicating the way they’re sitting. “I mean,” he says eventually, after he gets no reaction from Matteo and David. “I guess they might be thinking about it. But I still think someone else is going to beat them.”

“You and Hanna, then,” David says, a laugh in his voice as Hanna and Jonas both groan. They share some sort of look together, eyebrows raised as if incredulous of what they’re hearing. Matteo can’t understand why. If it’s not Carlos and Kiki they’re talking about, Hanna and Jonas certainly _look_ settled into a long term, committed thing in which marriage is likely to feature at some point. To outside eyes anyway.

“If you’re really going to pretend not to understand,” Jonas says with a laugh, “I guess I can’t help you.”

He stands and holds out a hand to Hanna, who takes it with a soft smile. “You want to dance?” Jonas asks with an exaggerated bow.

Laughing, she nods and follows him out to the dance floor, her fingers tangled in his and the smile growing wider on her face as they snuggle together for a slow dance.

David leans in towards Matteo so he can whisper in his ear, breath warm and shivery against his skin. “What do you think they meant?” he asks. “About us pretending not to understand?”

Matteo shrugs, lets his head fall down onto David’s shoulder. He’s getting tired, the energy of being with so many people for so long starting to press his limbs down with heaviness. David gets it, the way he always does, and moves so Matteo can lie more easily against him. They end up with Matteo's legs propped over David's and David’s head lying on top of Matteo’s where it still sits on his shoulder. It always settles Matteo, makes him feel warm and cocooned, when they lie like this.

“I don’t know,” Matteo says eventually. “They seem to be implying something and acting like we’re stupid not getting it, but I have no idea what other couple it could be.”

David’s arm is warm, snugged in behind his waist, and Matteo’s so close to soporific he’s almost asleep. His eyes slide closed, fluttering in an attempt to stay open. He’s finding it hard to stay focused on the conversation.

“No,” David agrees. “There isn’t anyone else, except maybe Laura.” He pauses for a long moment before his voice softens and he adds, almost to himself, “I wondered for a moment if they thought… but surely they wouldn’t...”

“Hmmmm?” Matteo asks, hardly registering what David is saying, eyes still fighting to stay open.

“It’s nothing,” David says, and Matteo can feel the way his head shakes where it rests on his own. “You can nap if you like. I’ll wake you when they do gift opening.”

“Mmmm, ‘kay,” Matteo says and gives in to the pull of the warmth of David’s body so close to his. He trusts David, knows he’ll keep his word and ensure Matteo doesn’t miss out on anything important. So he falls asleep, safely cocooned in David’s warmth.


	4. Laura and Lia

A pleasant breeze drifts through the small space. Birds had been twittering in the trees nearby but have fallen silent now. The glare of the sun is softened as it's filtered through the vine leaves above their heads. They twist and dance in the breeze, casting neverending patterns of light and shadow over the table below. 

While the space itself is tiny, the veranda over it cuts off enough of the noise of the surrounding city that it feels peaceful. Every weekend Laura lays claim to the area and brings a feast to the table, which she shares with her girlfriend, Lia, and often with David and Matteo when they can make it.

Today they're chatting casually about the various people in their lives while Laura unpacks home made bread, salad and a selection of other foods. She deftly sets everything out onto the tiny table, making it all fit seemingly effortlessly, a remarkable achievement considering how much food there is and how small the table is. Today, David's offering is a large bottle of her favourite juice and her eyes light up when he adds it to the table and slides into the seat next to Matteo, his foot pressing against Matteo’s, sitting in their now-accustomed way, making sure at least some part of them is touching. 

“The thing is,” David says in response to a question about how things are going with all their friends as he reaches for a glass of the juice, “everyone keeps saying this really weird stuff about us. And for a while it was just funny how they didn’t get anything. But it’s pretty constant now and it’s getting annoying.”

Laura shares a look with Lia behind David’s head, one filled with an amusement which Matteo can’t quite figure out. She cuts herself a thick slice of the bread and watches her brother carefully as she butters it.

“What sort of weird stuff?” she asks eventually, before taking a bite and chewing slowly with an almost studied attempt at looking casual. Lia’s laugh is cut off abruptly as she catches Matteo's eye and buries her nose in a glass of the juice. Matteo’s not sure what’s so funny.

“Well,” David says, sitting back and sighing heavily. “Things like… I don’t know. Implying things about us. Assuming stuff.” He points at Matteo as he says it, indicating the space between them with a gesture, and they share a glance of confusion. It still doesn’t make sense.

Laura gapes at them, her eyes alight with what looks like scarcely suppressed hilarity. “You really don’t understand?”

David shakes his head, and Matteo says, “nope.”

She laughs, mutters a soft, “unbelievable,” under her breath before putting her bread down and fixing David with a firm stare. “Okay. Well, think about it this way. Imagine a scenario where you have two friends who are always together. They do everything with each other, spend all their time at each other’s places. They buy joint gifts and mope if they’re not in the same vicinity. They literally sit on top of each other every chance they get. They even agree to every double date that’s ever proposed.” 

She stops to stare at them, leaning forward to impress something on them, her eyes flickering between the two of them. David blinks at her, his incomprehension clear on his face, which makes Matteo feel better because he’s surely not getting it either.

“O...kay?” David says, drawing the word out and with his irritation at the word games obvious in the way he glares at his sister. “I still don’t follow…” he adds just as Matteo says, “What’s the point?”

“Wow,” Lia says. “They really are as stupid as you said.”

Laura laughs and leans over to press a kiss to Lia’s cheek. “The dumbest.” She settles back in her seat and smiles at David.

“That scenario is what your friends have with you two.” She picks up her cutlery and stabs at some salad, looks at them in amusement, then shrugs briefly before popping a tomato into her mouth as if she didn't just imply the most outrageous thing. “What do you think they all think about this?”

“What do you even think this is?” Lia asks, indicating at the table they’re all seated around.

“Lunch with my sister,” David says promptly. “My incredibly annoying sister.”

“Lunch with your sister and her girlfriend. And your… Matteo,” she corrects him.

David looks back over at Matteo, his head tilted to the side. There’s something considering in his eyes, and Matteo kind of gets that. Now that they’ve laid it out the way they did it’s a little more understandable why the others might think _things_ about them. Even if those things are hilariously wrong.

“You’re saying this is a… date?” he asks slowly.

Laura huffs and rolls her eyes. “You’re just as bad as my idiot brother. Yes, this is a date. How could you not know? We’ve had dozens just like it.”

“But we’re not dating?” David says, and the question is clear in his voice. Matteo sniggers at that; if you have to ask if you’re dating then you’re definitely not dating. Which they are _definitely_ not doing; they’re just really close friends, which isn’t exactly unusual.

Still, he thinks as he watches the thoughts play out over David's face, dating David wouldn’t be awful. In fact, it would probably be quite nice. He is by far the best person Matteo knows, and the one he’s most comfortable being himself around. The idea of being together with David feels almost comforting in a strange way.

David’s eyes find his again and a small smile tilts the corners of his lips up. Matteo can see the bemused confusion in his eyes, which is probably reflected in his own. He raises his brow in question and David shakes his head, a small bubble of laughter tipping out of him. There’s a strange camaraderie in the acknowledgement that they might have been acting in a way that confused a lot of other people. Now that Laura’s made him aware of how other people might be registering their relationship, Matteo can’t stop thinking about it.

“Okay,” Laura says, sharing yet another glance with Lia, this one filled with amusement and exasperation. “You and your not dating selves better eat some of this food before it goes to waste.”

She waves her fork in David’s direction. “But maybe think about some stuff, hmmm?”

Matteo settles to his food, his mind whirling. David’s foot is still warm against his own under the table, and the birds have started twittering again. The shadows cast by the wind fluttering the leaves of the vines above their heads flicker over the table, the breeze a welcome whisper to dispel the heat of the day and make the veranda a pleasant place to hang out. It’s calming, all of it, and slowly Matteo regains his equanimity.

Still, he watches David under his lashes as he laughs with Laura, waving his hands around and seeming so settled into the conversation with the others. Matteo watches and wonders while David’s foot remains firmly pressed to his own, and his eyes fill with warmth every time he looks in Matteo's direction. 


	5. Mia and Vicky

When Mia had first arranged this trip, inviting all the dating couples plus Matteo and David in her plans, Matteo had pushed back. He’s sensitive now to the implications of all these ‘dates’ everyone keeps inviting the two of them on, and he hadn’t been interested in stoking those fires any further. Not when it now feels like they’re lying to their friends. But David had cajoled him, saying it would be fun. That it wasn’t just because they’re all couples but because these are all their friends. That Abdi and Sam barely count as a couple with their arrangement. That David and Matteo would be missing out on something if they didn’t go. So Matteo had given in; he does enjoy time at a cabin with this group of people, after all.

Almost as if he’s decided to play up to the expectations of everyone else, though, David has pulled Matteo to his side on a large swinging outdoor chair. They’re sheltered under the wide veranda, and there’s a faded but warm quilt lying over their legs. It’s all very normal; their bodies are pressed close together as usual, David’s snuggled in close by Matteo as usual. It’s all  _ very normal _ , but there’s a vibe in the air which is making Matteo feel weird.

Everyone else is scattered around on various chairs of their own or lounging on blankets on the grass in the deepening shadows, as afternoon starts turning into evening. While it’s certainly pleasant, there’s part of Matteo which wonders just how sensible this is. They have all paired up, couples lying tangled together or sitting so close they may as well be. It’s very clear that, as much as David tried to play it down, this is a couples’ trip.

“Relax,” David whispers into Matteo’s hair as he turns his head, clearly registering exactly how Matteo is feeling before he even opens his mouth. “Who gives a shit what they think?”

And that’s a fair enough point, Matteo concedes. If he enjoys spending time with David, letting his friends sabotage that just because they can’t quite comprehend their friendship seems really stupid. So he sighs and lets his body slump in its usual way. David gives a contented hum.

“Much better,” He says, making Matteo smile.

“You just wanted to be more comfortable,” he protests.

“And what of it?” David asks. “If it makes me happy?”

Matteo shrugs, feeling the smile tugging at the edges of his mouth. It’s always like this, easy, with David. He’s still caught up a bit in the things Laura insinuated, however, and part of him is reckless. If they’re being treated as a couple, what if that’s not so far from the truth? What if he’s denying himself something just because his friends have got him too wrapped up inside his own head. What if he makes an offer, something small, to see what David might think of it all?

So he sighs again and, with a hammering heart, reaches out one finger to run a circle on the back of one of David’s hands. David’s skin shivers under his touch, and his expression when he looks over at Matteo is filled with something wondrous. Something that looks like he’s been thinking of the things Laura said as well. Something which says he knows this is different from their usual, this touch, but that he likes it. David smiles, soft and slow and warm.

“It makes me happy too,” Matteo confesses, getting bolder with the way his finger runs on David’s hand, roaming to his fingertips and back up again. “Sometimes I wonder if it’s too much. Being happy, I mean.”

David shakes his head. “Never.”

Matteo doesn’t quite know how to say the things he’s been thinking, the things he’s realised he’s been wanting. Probably for longer than he even knows, if he’s honest. It’s all sitting there, wanting to be said, but the words don’t form right in Matteo’s mouth. So all he can do is keep running that circle on David’s hand and take comfort in the fact that he doesn’t pull it away.

Mia climbs the steps then, hand in hand with Vicky. They plop down on the edge of the deck and look up at Matteo and David.

“You’re not going to join everyone else?” Mia asks. She looks radiant, eyes alight with joy as she leans on her new girlfriend. “I think we’re going down to the lake to swim. It’s still warm enough out there.”

Matteo groans at the idea. Usually he does enjoy swimming, but he’s comfortable here and the idea of moving away from David sits uneasily in his chest. This feeling blossoming inside him is too precious to dampen with a swim. Beside him, David shakes his head.

“Nah, we’re good here,” he says, letting his hand turn over under Matteo’s, unseen by the others in the folds of the quilt, but lighting a fire inside Matteo as his fingers curl into the gaps between his own.

Mia looks at them, her head tilted. “For people who’ve been together as long as you guys, you’re unbelievably sweet,” she says. “Most people get over this sort of thing pretty early on.” 

She indicates with her hand the whole way they’re sitting, the way they can’t help but smile when they look at each other. The probably giddy expression Matteo’s wearing when he glances over at David.

For once, Matteo doesn’t feel the urge to deny it. They might not have been together, but sitting here, with his hand in David’s and his heart beating out of his chest, Matteo thinks they may as well have been. Under the careful gaze of Mia and Vicky, David shifts slightly, brushing his lips over Matteo’s cheek, making him flush with a heady delight. The lips burn a brand onto Matteo’s skin.

“They’re almost like a new couple,” Vicky murmurs quietly to Mia as she watches them, who laughs and shakes her head.

“No,” she says. “They’ve been like this for years. You get used to it after a while.” She turns to look at the boys. “You’re sure you don’t want to come to the lake?” she asks again as she stands up and holds her hand out to Vicky.

“No thanks,” Matteo manages. He’s still giddy from the feeling of David’s lips on his cheek. The idea of breaking this moment is inconceivable. He can’t imagine doing anything right now other than staying right here with David. His fingers tighten in David’s, but they don’t say anything else until the others have all disappeared down the path leading to the swimming spot.

“I’ve been thinking,” David says slowly, looking down at their clasped hands.

“Hmmm?” Matteo says, incapable of forming comprehensible sentences, but it doesn’t seem to matter to David who gets it anyway.

“I think we’ve been kind of dating for a while now. Accidentally.”

The fingers of his other hand reach out to brush the hair away from Matteo’s face. They trail down his cheek, briefly caressing the spot David had kissed, and setting Matteo on fire as they do so. He swallows, looks up and into David’s eyes, who grins when he sees whatever is sitting in Matteo’s expression. 

The small tension that’s been sitting in David’s body, as if he too has been worried about the reception of this new way of touching, relaxes away and he whispers, “Do you think we should maybe make it not so accidental?”

Matteo brings his own hand up, cups David’s cheek with it, and nods, leaning forward. As their lips meet, he can’t help but smile. This seems like it was inevitable. Like they’ve been doing it forever, just without realising it. He can feel David’s smile under his fingertips and presses closer again. 

Accidental or not, this feels right.


	6. Matteo and David

An echo thrums through the space whenever they move, squeaking its music into the still space, giving an eerie reminder that they’re here and alone. Or, it might be eerie if Matteo wasn’t here with David; somehow when they’re together like this everything becomes manageable. 

A small portable mattress lies pushed up against the wall of the vast space, and the two of them are sitting side by side, backs against the wall, legs stretched out onto the cool of the floor beneath them. Their shoes scrape against the floor when they shift, sending those echoes booming again. The day outside is so hot that it’s actually pleasant to be here, the concrete and tile casting a cool glow over their heated skin. 

As first dates go, it’s not quite run of the mill. Matteo laughs at the thought. First date or hundredth date? Trying to pinpoint when exactly this whole thing started hasn’t been easy. But in this space, when they’re alone together, it doesn’t seem to matter anyway. He reaches out, takes David’s hand in his, and gets a giddy sensation just from knowing that he can do this now. He can casually take his boyfriend’s hand and it can mean something.

“Why are we here?” Matteo asks eventually, once the still-heady joy of being somewhere, anywhere, with David has worn down a little. They always did everything together, but it feels better now, like there’s more purpose to it. Like they’re not just together through default but that they have chosen to spend this specific time with each other.

Tugging on Matteo’s jacket, David pulls him more firmly into his side as if he too wants the newfound giddiness of being together in  _ this _ way. Matteo rests his head on David’s shoulder and lets out a contented sigh. It feels good to be like this. Natural.

“All our other ‘dates’ were with other people,” David says, emphasising the word with air quotes. “I wanted something that was just the two of us. No-one around, and no-one likely to come.”

“Except security,” Matteo points out, earning him a pinch from David which makes him giggle as he snuggles closer.

“Ass. I was trying to be romantic.”

Matteo rolls his eyes. “Why? I already know what you’re like. You don’t need romance.”

Laughing, David kisses his hair. “It’s just nice to be able to, you know?”

Matteo gets that. He thinks back to the time when he watched Kiki and Carlos dancing and wondered if he’d ever get to do that with someone of his own. That he was literally cuddling with David at the time, and the irony was lost on him, is of no import. It was that longing to be part of something bigger than himself that stuck with him. And here he is, in the same position, practically mirroring how they were sitting that day, and yet everything has expanded.

“Yeah,” he agrees, quietly. “I know.”

They sit quietly, soaking in the feeling of being together. Alone together with all the promise that entails. It’s not exactly a comfortable place, though, the floor cold and hard under the flimsy mattress, and the echoes making everything seem larger and more impactful than they should.

“Why this place, though?” Matteo asks. “There are lots of places we could be alone together.” he grins mischievously. “And some of those would be a lot sexier than this.”

David taps his head with an irritated finger, before letting it trail down Matteo’s cheek and along his jaw. Matteo sucks in a breath, looking into those eyes that are so familiar, that he’s seen countless thousands of times. And yet which now hold a far different meaning than before.

“I always wanted to come here,” David says. “It always fascinated me. But I didn’t want to come alone. I always wanted it to be with someone special.”

“I wasn’t special before?” Matteo adopts a fake pout, which makes David laugh. 

“Yeah,” he says. “But you know what I mean. I wanted it to mean something.”

Matteo nods. Just like his own yearning to dance with someone, he can understand this one. That desire to share something with someone in a way that’s similar but different from a friendship. They’ve danced together before, but it didn’t mean anything. They’ve been to places like this before, but it wasn’t the same.

There’s something in the echo that speaks to what they are to each other. The two of them mirror and echo everything, and they always have. But until they knew what it meant they couldn’t give in to it. But here, in this cavernous space, with their own voices booming back at them, everything seems wide open. Everything is possible. Mirrors and echoes speak of times that have been and times to come. The similarities and the nuanced differences.

“I like it,” Matteo says. “It feels like us.”

David pulls him towards him, then. Grabbing his legs and settling them over his own. His lips brush in under Matteo’s ear, making him shiver. The echoes now are softer, hushed as if they understand the reverence of this moment. Matteo moves so he can kiss David properly, sealing, in a way that even the lake house couldn’t, who they will be from here on out. 

Part of him had been terrified, worried that changing from friends into boyfriends would forever have a detrimental effect on how they are together. To his relief, the kissing hasn’t done anything except add depth and nuance to it. To them. They still cuddle as much as they always did. They still tease each other, they still drive their friends wild with their ability to read and understand each other. All that’s changed is this.

That they can be together in the quiet moments, they can explore each other in a new way, a way that fits organically into everything else they already were. That they can choose to spend time together like this.

Best friends. Boy friends. The best of all worlds.


End file.
